Minor Hill climate

Minor Hill Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pulaski Wwtp, 17.8 km from Minor Hill, elevation 644 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pulaski Wwtp. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around April 14 and the first fall freeze around October 24, a growing season of about 193 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 26, first October 15
Median at 32°F
last April 14, first October 24
Median at 28°F
last April 2, first November 1

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 10May 4Apr 30Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 20Apr 16Apr 11
32°FApr 28Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 3Mar 29
28°FApr 19Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 2Mar 30Mar 27Mar 21Mar 14
24°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 12Mar 6Feb 28
20°FMar 28Mar 21Mar 14Mar 9Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 20Feb 9
16°FMar 15Mar 6Mar 1Feb 25Feb 19Feb 13Feb 6Jan 31Jan 20

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 12Oct 15Oct 19Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 5
28°FOct 20Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 17
24°FOct 30Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 27Dec 2
20°FNov 6Nov 12Nov 16Nov 21Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8Dec 20
16°FNov 14Nov 22Nov 29Dec 2Dec 7Dec 13Dec 21Dec 29Jan 5

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F192185179175171168164160154
32°F214207202197193189185180174
28°F238228222217214209205201194
24°F263254248242237231225219212
20°F297284276269262256250244235
16°F326315307300292286278269258

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
4,028
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,267
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,854
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,426
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,152
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,034
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,072

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January874017
February692024
March523295
April25720245
May8292476
June6250694
July0366831
August1335800
September31172591
October23727280
November542272
December783027

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 17.8 km from Minor Hill. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00407459 (Pulaski Wwtp). Public domain.